The publication is divided into subject areas, with individual chapters for each item examined. Each chapter includes an introduction, facts and findings, concerns, an option or options, and a discussion. Charts and graphs are included, along with a projection of fiscal impacts.

The report addresses a number of transportation-related issues. Funding for public school transportation is found under “Public Education.” Disaster planning and recovery and consolidation of state-owned vehicle maintenance shops are addressed under “Government Operations and Employees.” Medical transportation for Medicaid clients is under “Health and Human Services.” There are four chapters under the Transportation label:

Provide State Funding for Seaport Capital Improvements …. 445

Use Excess Revenues to Pay Down Texas Mobility Fund Bond Debt …. 454

Align State Transportation Policy to Reduce Traffic Fatalities …. 458

Improve Reporting of County Road and Bridge Funds …. 467

The LBB staff provided these options for each topic:

Provide State Funding for Seaport Capital Improvements

Option 1: Adopt one or more of the following strategies to establish either a grant or loan program to provide funding for certain eligible seaport infrastructure projects:

Strategy 1: Amend statute to establish a port capital project grant program at the Texas Department of Transportation to provide funding for port projects. Include a contingency rider in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to appropriate $25.0 million in General Revenue Funds to the Texas Department of Transportation to implement the grant program.

Strategy 2: Amend statute to establish a port capital project grant program at the Texas Department of Transportation to provide grant funding for port projects. Amend the Texas Constitution to authorize the Texas Department of Transportation to issue General Obligation bonds or notes issued by the State of Texas in an aggregate amount not to exceed $100.0 million to implement the grant program. Include a contingency rider in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to appropriate bond proceeds to the Texas Department of Transportation to provide grants for seaport projects.

Strategy 3: Include a rider within the bill pattern for Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to direct $25.0 million out of appropriations from the General Revenue–Dedicated Account No. 5107, Texas Enterprise Fund, to be used to provide grant funding for seaport projects.

Strategy 4: Amend the Texas Constitution to authorize money from the Texas Mobility Fund to provide grant funding for port projects. Include a contingency rider in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to allocate $25.0 million appropriated in Other Funds, Texas Mobility Fund, to the Texas Department of Transportation to provide grant funding for seaport projects.

Strategy 5: Amend statute to establish a port capital project revolving loan program at the Texas Department of Transportation to provide loans for port projects. Include a contingency rider in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to appropriate $25.0 million in General Revenue Funds to the Texas Department of Transportation to implement the loan program.

Strategy 6: Amend statute to establish a port capital project revolving loan program at the Texas Department of Transportation to provide loans for port projects. Amend the Texas Constitution to authorize the Texas Department of Transportation to issue General Obligation bonds or notes issued by the State of Texas in an aggregate amount not to exceed $100.0 million to implement the loan program. Include a contingency rider in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to appropriate bond proceeds to the Texas Department of Transportation to provide loans for seaport projects.

Option 2: Amend statute to establish a seaport preliminary studies grant program at the Texas Department of Transportation to provide grant funding for preliminary studies or permits that may be required to receive funding for seaport projects.

Option 3: Amend statute to expand the allowable uses of the General Revenue–Dedicated Account No. 5003, Hotel Occupancy Tax for Economic Development, to include funding of the seaport preliminary studies grant program. Include a contingency rider in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to appropriate $1.0 million in General Revenue–Dedicated Funds to the Texas Department of Transportation to implement the seaport preliminary studies grant program.

Use Excess Revenues to Pay Down Texas Mobility Fund Debt

Option 1: Amend statute to require the Texas Department of Transportation to use excess Texas Mobility Fund revenues to pay off the fund’s callable debt early.

Align State Transportation Policy to Reduce Traffic Fatalities

Option 1: Amend statute to require the Texas Department of Transportation to develop a traffic safety plan that includes recommendations to align state transportation policy with the agency’s zero fatality goal.

Option 2: Amend statute to dedicate 20.0 percent of deposits from the state sales tax to the State Highway Fund for traffic safety engineering projects beginning in 2020.

Improve Reporting of County Road and Bridge Funds

Option 1: Include a rider in the 2018–19 General Appropriations Bill to require the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to review county road and bridge expenditure data submitted to the Comptroller of Public Accounts. As part of the review, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute will collaborate with the Comptroller of Public Accounts and the Texas Department of Transportation to assess the need for and usefulness of collecting county road and bridge expenditure data and submit the results of their findings, and any recommendations for improving state data collection and state oversight of county road and bridge expenditures if it is recommended for continuation, to the Legislative Budget Board and the permanent standing committees of the House of Representatives and Senate with jurisdiction over transportation matters no later than November 1, 2018.

It is up to individual legislators whether they wish to file legislation to implement any of these options. A rider implementing the item labeled “Option 1” under “Improve Reporting of County Road and Bridge Funds” is found on page III-239 of the House proposed version of the General Appropriations Act but not the Senate version as filed):

Review of County Expenditure Data. Out of funds appropriated above, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) shall conduct a comprehensive review of county road and bridge expenditure data submitted to the Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) by each county, as required by Transportation Code §256.009. As part of the review, TTI shall collaborate with CPA and the Texas Department of Transportation to assess the need for and usefulness of collecting county road and bridge expenditure data. TTI shall recommend whether or not to continue collecting this data, and if TTI determines there is a continued need for collecting this data, TTI shall make recommendations as provided by this rider to ensure the data submitted by each county is collected by the state in a manner that ensures accuracy and allows for effective oversight of county road and bridge expenditures. No later than November 1, 2018, TTI shall submit the results of their findings and recommendations to the Legislative Budget Board and the permanent standing committee in the House of Representatives and Senate with jurisdiction over transportation matters.